Video

Traffic Pollution Can Inscreas Your Blood Pressure

A Texas Playground Caters Especially to Special Needs Children

BPA in Plastics May be Linked to Asthma

Communication Is Important When It Comes to Prostate Cancer

The Number of Home Births Has Gone Up

Which American Couples Are More Likely to Stay Together?

Workplace Wellness Can Help Reduce the Risk for Heart Problems

Some Parents May Hasten Death for Terminally Ill Children

Fitness Academics

Secondhand Smoke Increases Risk for Heart Disease in Kids

Toddlers Don't Learn Vocabulary From TV

Despite Worries, Most Parents Vaccinate Their Kids Anyway

Food Allergies Can Be Treated With the Allergen Foods

Signs of Heart Disease Could Be As Early as 3 in Obese Kids

The Number of Women Having Strokes is Rising

Kidney Damage Another Consequence of Anabolic Steroids

Posted on 10/29/2009, 14:00
By -- Randy Dotinga

Long-term use can lead to severe kidney scarring, new research shows

THURSDAY, Oct. 29 (HealthDay News) -- Anabolic steroids, taken by some athletes to build muscle and strength, can cause kidney disease, new research suggests.

Doctors haven't previously realized that the steroids, which are known to cause many health problems, also can seriously harm the kidneys.

In the new study, Dr. Leal Herlitz, of Columbia University Medical Center in New York City, and her colleagues studied 10 bodybuilders who were long-time users of steroids. The patients had begun to leak protein into their urine and had lost kidney function.

The findings were scheduled to be presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Nephrology, held Oct. 27 to Nov. 1 in San Diego.

Tests showed that all but one of the bodybuilders developed a kidney-scarring condition known as focal segmental glomerulosclerosis.

According to the researchers, the condition develops when the kidneys are overworked. The kidney scarring in the study patients was worse than is sometimes seen in morbidly obese people, the study authors noted in a news release from the American Society of Nephrology.

However, there was some good news: Except for one, who went on to develop end-stage kidney failure and needed dialysis, the kidneys of the bodybuilders improved when they stopped taking the steroids, although one patient relapsed upon taking steroids again.

The researchers suspect that rapidly increasing muscle mass puts a lot of strain on kidneys, and the steroids themselves can be toxic to the organs.

"Athletes who use anabolic steroids and the doctors caring for them need to be aware of the potentially serious risks to the kidney," Herlitz said in the news release.

More information

Learn more about steroids from the Nemours Foundation.

SOURCE: American Society of Nephrology, news release, Oct. 29, 2009

More news in Nutrition...

BigHealthTree.com Disclaimer

Bighealthtree.com Does Not Provide Medical Advice. This site, including the above information, is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical or health advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or a qualified health or medical professional before starting any new treatment, changing existing treatment, or altering your current exercise and/or diet program. If you think you are having a medical emergency, call 911 (or the emergency services in your area) or your doctor immediately.

Rating: 2.4 / 5 (5 votes)